Tabernacle

I feel sad for the wise men.  They always seem to get left out of our Advent celebration because they were late to party.  By the time they reached Bethlehem, Jesus was referred to as a “child” (not a baby), and he was in a house rather than a stable (Matthew 2:11).  So their visit was long after the original Christmas.  But the Magi have much to teach us, especially about the glory of the newborn King.

Please welcome Ben Spivey this first Sunday of the new year! Ben and Kirstin serve with RUF Lynchburg, working to reach believing and unbelieving college students with the gospel of Jesus. They are doing this so that those who have not believed might know the love of Jesus and those who have believed might trust him more and be equipped to serve Him. Ben and Kirstin met in 2011 at an after-church lunch while he was a student at Liberty University and involved with Lynchburg RUF. They married in Lynchburg in 2012 and went into the RUF internship in 2013. They love to feed people, play board games, do anything outdoors, and watch their children attack their friends.

As we celebrate the last Sunday of 2019, we are in this beautiful time between Christmas and New Years. We are reminded that Jesus has come and is coming again. We have a new year full of His promises ahead of us. And so it is fitting that David Sawyer, one of our ruling elders, remind us of the year of the Lord's favor. Please welcome him.

We don’t always like to admit it. It makes us feel a little bit embarrassed to confess it. We think we shouldn’t need it, but we do. We need a leader. Somehow we have gotten a sense that, as adults, we should be able to call our own shots and be our own leader. And then along comes Jesus. Christmas reminds us that Jesus came to lead us like a shepherd leads his flock: protecting, providing, guiding. Are you following Him?

"Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”  Charlie Brown’s famous lament caught the ear of a blankie-wielding theologian named Linus, who responded by reciting the account of the angels appearing to the shepherds in Luke 2:8-14.  There the angels declared: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”  It’s actually quite simple: Christmas is about the King of peace, Charlie Brown.

I love that Thanksgiving is what ushers in Advent.  Is there anything more deserving of our gratitude than God coming to be with us in the flesh, to “tabernacle among us” (John 1:14)?  Our Advent series this year starts off with God’s call to Abram (Abraham, as he will be called), promising that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).  That promise finds its fulfillment in Jesus, the King of Blessing.

As we begin a week of giving thanks for all of God’s mercies to us, let us not forget to thank Him for His warnings. Parents who love their kids warn their kids against danger. Our Father in heaven calls us to value His glory and an eternity with Him above all things on earth, and warns us against making a foolish choice. Let us hear His voice.

Jesus prayed for our unity as Christians, which makes our disunity all the more

disastrous. Sometimes we can look more like a broken, dysfunctional

family instead of the loving, encouraging household of God. I asked my old friend

(and former member at Tab), Dam Mallya, to share about our unity in Jesus' name

while I'm away this weekend. His wife, Jamie, used to be our Administrative

Assistant--total homecoming for them! Please make them feel at home, again.

Sometimes we tend to be critical of the disciples, especially when they are arguing about which one of them is the best disciple.  But we forget how prone we are to do the exact same thing.  We look for greatness in the world’s eyes instead of in heaven’s eyes.  Greatness isn’t measured by how many people admire you; it is measured by how much God loves you.

Have you bought into the false expectation that mature Christians don’t doubt? Somehow we get the wrong the impression that mature faith is perfect faith, free from any unbelief and anxiety at all. But have you ever done anything perfectly this side of heaven? The Gospel does not demand a faith that is perfect, but repentant. Thank God He accepts our faulty faith, and helps our unbelief.